Lettie Wareing ESRC Research Scholar

My main research interest is Anorexia Nervosa. Specifically, I am interested in interoceptive deficits within this population and their role in the pathogenesis and maintenance of Anorexia Nervosa in the context of predictive coding models. Research has shown that, in healthy individuals, the ability to sense the internal signals coming from one’s body (interoception) are vital for the development of a sense of self and belonging within one’s own body. These interoceptive signals are integrated with exteroceptive sensory signals (those external to the body e.g. vision) to form a coherent percept of the self as belonging within a body, within the environment. Consequently, if this interoceptive stream is not successfully integrated with other sensory streams within the brain, this could have negative implications for our sense of self and how we view ourselves with respect to our environment. With regards to Anorexia Nervosa, a failure to correctly integrate interoceptive streams into our sense of self could lead to an overreliance on external sensory signals and, in turn, feelings of detachment and self-objectification that can result in body dissatisfaction. Moreover, a failure in multisensory integration can lead to improper updating of stored bodily representations with changes to morphology that occur with weightloss; leading to an outdated, oversized self-representation. My research intends to investigate these concepts using both cognitive and neuroscientific methodologies including virtual reality, electroencephalography, electrocardiograms, respiration monitors, and near-infrared spectroscopy. It is hoped that these approaches will give a better insight into interoception in Anorexia Nervosa and its links to clinical symptomology. Moreover, on the basis of these findings, I intend to explore the potential of Biofeedback as a new therapeutic intervention for Anorexia Nervosa. It is hoped that the improvements in interoception brought about by Biofeedback training may subsequently improve symptomology in individuals with Anorexia Nervosa.